Undead

Undead are monsters that are self-formed or reanimated from the dead.

Background

In places where large numbers the dead aren’t properly buried or cremated, for example right after a war, a natural process occurs where the magic in the air only has to fluctuate a bit to cause the dead to be reanimated as undead. The undead can naturally sense the living, and instinctively seek to kill and create more undead. Only powerful undead can resist and ignore this instinct. In large numbers, the undead will generate enough death magic to be self-sustaining. Animals rarely become natural undead outside of Noelictus, and even there, invertebrates do not rise without an extreme concentration of death magic due to lacking bones, which is where death magic is stored. Death magic will accumulate in the head of an undead, which makes it a weak spot as they can be put down if the head sustains enough damage, though headless undead are still a possible occurrence.

In general, the undead rise in a certain order. First zombies, then skeletons and if the slaughter is great enough, even Ghouls. There is usually a ratio of one Ghoul rising for every ten zombies. Given time, stronger undead will emerge as well, like Crypt Lords and higher undead. As a general rule of thumb, the bigger the person, the stronger the undead. Some classes naturally result in stronger undead, such as [Warriors] becoming Ghouls. Some species also naturally result in stronger undead variants, such as half-Elves due to their magical nature. Elemental undead can emerge in certain environments, such as Frostmarrow Skeletons rising in cold climates. Undead will grow stronger over time, such as zombies turning into Ghouls, and so will consuming mana.

When an undead is created, the life they had is ripped asunder, creating a ghost. Typically, the ghost is ejected from the undead body or devoured by it. If the ghost remains in the undead body and merges with it, it creates a Revenant or similar undead. If an undead is suppressed, the ghost remains externally and haunts their body. Life informs death, and the undead are left with imprints of who they used to be in life. The capabilities a person had will influence the capabilities and talents of the undead that forms from them. Ghosts and similar spectral undead grow in power based on emotions and other esoteric means. They can often ignore certain offensive spells such as fireballs and lightning bolts, and greater variants may even be immune to elemental spells.

Methods to mitigate the natural rising of undead until the body is properly tended to include using Gravesalt (salt, ashes, silver), having a [Gravetender] see to the body, and putting plants near the body to eat the death magic. A [Priest] blessing the dead may also help, though it is yet unconfirmed. Proper burial includes decapitating the body and spreading salt between the head and shoulders, or lining the coffin with silver.

[Mages] can also reanimate the dead as well, and the ones who do so are generally called [Necromancers] and obtain it as a Class. Not only can [Necromancers] reanimate the dead faster, but they can also design and enchant them. Undead creations made purely of bone requires more magic to animate than flesh undead.

Weaknesses

As stated above, decapitation or destruction of the head will kill most undead. Life magic disrupts death magic, making [Druids] better equipped to handle them. Healing miracles not only harm undead, but also cause them pain, and faith abilities are natural weapons against them. And as they need mana to animate, a mana-negative area will cause them to collapse.

Truegold is the most reliable way to harm and destroy the incorporeal undead. Charms, totems and talismans can ward off, as does a salt circle with candles, but lose effectiveness over time as the ghosts gain strength. Light from both magical and mundane sources is able to harm them, and silver also has some effect against them.

Types of Undead

• Artisan Bone Construct
• Banshees
• Bloated King
• Boggarts
• Bone Abomination
• Bone Behemoth
• Bone Horror
• Bone Giant
• Bone Shamblers
• Carcass Walker
• Carrion-beetles
• Cathian Tombwalker
• Ceiling Crawler / Bone Crawler / Skeletal Crawler
• Chitinous Horror
• Cloth-undead
• Crypt King
• Crypt Lord
• Death Familiar
• Demius Warlock Bonelord
• Dorn Pillar
• Draugr
• Flesh Abomination
• Flesh Masks
• Fleshwalkers
• Frostmarrow Behemoth
• Ghasts
• Ghosts
• Ghoul
  • Swamplurk Ghoul
• Guardian of Ivory
• Hag Queens of Aklat Vunn
• Haunts
• Lich / Skeleton Magus
  • Lich Coven
• Marsh Horror
• Mortemdefieir Titan
• Poltergeists
• Revenant
  • Revenant Wraith
• Rotfield Giant
• Rotfiend
• Shadow Walker
• Shambler
• Skeletons
  • Ashmarrow Skeleton
  • Frostmarrow Skeleton
  • Skeleton Bruiser
  • Skeleton Captain
  • Skeleton Champion
  • Skeleton Commander
  • Skeleton General
  • Skeleton Juggernaut
  • Skeleton Knight
  • Skeleton Lancer
  • Skeleton Lord
  • Skeleton Mage
  • Skeleton Retainer
  • Skeleton Warrior
  • Thickmarrow Skeleton
• Specters
  • Specters of Loss
• Spiked Stalker
• Spirits
• Swamp Lurker
• Tombghasts
• Wailing Pit
• Wight
• Will O’Wisps
• Wisps
• Wraiths / Reaper-Specter
  • Bog Wraiths
• Zombies
  • Frostmarrow Zombie
  • Greater Zombie
  • Mushroom Zombie
  • Plague Zombie
  • Sea-zombie
  • Zombie Giant

Sytem-related powers

There are some Classes that are oriented for interaction with the undead.

Known Death Classes:

• [Apotheosis of Undeath, the Herald of the Breathless Age]
• [Corpseman]
• [Corpsemaster]
• [Death Commander]
• [Deathkeeper]
• [Death Mage]
• [Death Soldier]
• [Deathkindly Guardian]
• [Deathtouch Princess]
• [Deathtouched Survivor]
• [Death Warrior]
• [Flamesetter Deathchild]
• [Grave Singer]
  • [Renowned Ghostsinger]
• [Necromancer]
  • [Archmage of Death]
    • [Undying Lich, Myth of Death and Vengeance]
  • [Artist of Bone]
  • [Knight-Artisan of Bones]
  • [Necromancer of Flesh]
  • [Necromancer of Slaughter]
  • [Necromancer Queen]
    • [Queen of the Eternal Necrocracy]
    • [Queen of Undeath]
  • [Ossific Necromancer]
    • [Deathsbane Necromancer]
      • [Necromancer of Reclaimed Grandeur]
• [Skeleton King of Terror]
• [Skeleton Knight]
• [Skeleton Mage]
• [Skeleton Warrior]
• [Undead Hunter]
• [Undead Leader]
• [Undying King]

Known Undead-related Skills:

• [Animate Undead (Objects)]
• [Arise, Legions of the Damned]
• [Authority of Death (Lesser)]
• [Binding: Quickivory Bones]
• [Constant Foe (Undead)]
• [Create Spectral Undead]
• [Crew: My Ship Is Crewed By Ghosts]
• [Command Undead: Lesser]
• [Copy Shape]
• [Corpse: Remembered Activity]
• [Death Magic Proficiency]
• [Manufacture Stellar Ivory]
• [Mass Greater Reanimation]
• [Monumental Animation]
• [Nemesis: Undead]
• [Personal Undead]
• [Raise Corpse]
• [Reanimation: Reclaim Earthly Possessions]
• [Royal Bodyguard: Two of Life, Two of Death]
• [Song of Death's Call]
• [The Bone Giant’s Sword]
• [Undead: Boundless Speed]
• [Undead: Duelist Instincts]

Known Undead-related Tittle:

• [14th Herald of the Breathless Age, Skeleton King Toren]
• [The Undead Who Refused The Will of Death]

Trivia

• In sites of a major battles, where thousands died, the dead start rising after a week.
• The dead speak all tongues, which allows them to understand Goblins or even the Frost Faeries.
• There exists a drink for undead called a Deathbeil Draught.
• “First light, Ghoul’s night. Second light, Ghoul’s flight.” -Rhyme about fighting Ghouls.
• Old books state that sentient undead (not referring to Revenants), could only be swayed by sustained logical rhetoric or the most extreme, basic emotions.
• Swamp Undead don’t like regular undead.
• There were thirteen (fourteen?) Heralds of the Breathless Age in total.